He has many names!
My name is Silvano Rigmar Haynes, my friends also know me as ‘Vano’
My little secret is that I use different (yet still my own) names to keep people guessing. I’m an 80’s baby and was born on the Caribbean island called Curaçao.
Since a young
age I’ve always been very curious about my surroundings and what makes people
do things differently than myself.
My best-friend partially rubbed a lot of his ‘’why’’ attitude unto me.
Which led me to ask questions like:
‘’Am I really less intelligent than others who had a higher school diploma?’’ ’’Am I aiming high in life’’? ‘’Do I got any talents?’’
It was this attitude that created the basis of who I am today.
Silvano Rigmar HaynesYou also go under the alias OMOWALE ASANTE, what does this name mean?
Malcolm X became a great hero to me around my early twenties’.
During his tour in Africa, Nigeria to be precise. They gave him a Yoruba name: Omowale. Meaning the (lost) child has returned home. Let’s say the name sank into my sub-conscious. And I basically fell in love with the Yoruba people shortly after that.
Then came the Asante who I also felt some connection to.
In late 2016 I put those two names together to recreate my Africanity..
Later I came to found out that Asante means because of war.
So, ‘the lost child has returned home because of war’ was born. And with such heavy meaning, I just had to ‘’own’’ this name.
Silvano Rigmar HaynesSo at what point in your life did you grow with
passion for African history?
Well that
started around my 17th birthday when a cousin of mine told me:
‘’There are a strange group of people in Rotterdam that almost speak our language’’.
He was referring to the Cabo Verdeans which led me unto the beautiful but enormous rabbit hole of the history of my ancestors. And that’s how I created the brand Atunwa in 2016
The definition
of ‘Atunwa’ in Yoruba theology translates to reincarnation in your direct family-line. The philosophy of
my brand is: teaching African history and Black empowerment through fashion. Pan-African
consciousness meets gritty urban Black culture.
Your brand ‘Atunwa’
promotes African culture, what is your mission and vision with this brand?
My mission is not only to promote African (diasporic) culture but to shake people into taking action. Every order comes with an infographic to show what we can do as one and why it’s important to OWN everything around you. Let me put it another way: making people aware of how dope African history/culture and it’s people are and start building with the correct mindset.
Silvano Haynes and friends – Photo by: shinethruheartphotogtraphyMy vision, without the fluffy stuff is to become a household name for every black person walking down the street in whether it be St.Kitts or Tanzania.
T-shirts, Hoodies, flipflops, sneakers. Our invasion won’t be televised.
Why should we
buy from Atunwa and not from other African designers in the Diaspora?
To semi-quote an article on our spiritual predecessor:
‘’created to specifically target young Black/African consumers.’ Their clothing was as a response to high-profile fashion brands expressing they didn’t want to market their collections to particular groups of people.’’
Unknown
I won’t mention their name but to add to that, I’ll say that we aren’t looking to fuse ideas, gaining a particular strand of mainstream attention or selling Black culture to other cultures while being detrimental to our own. Atunwa didn’t come into existence in a reactive manner. She was born to fill a void of a new cultural revival.
Silvano Rigmar HaynesTo how many
African countries have you been and which one of them stuck the most?
Sadly enough just Egypt. To be precise the upper Nile region. The city
called Aswan is pretty much where you can still feel the ancient African
presence.
So yeah… pretty cool place and people.
What have you
learned from Africa?
That we all share a common cultural source. We are just different branches/expressions of the same tree. It just happens that people aren’t very aware of that. Two things I love the most is how organized we used to be in all aspects of life and the central role of African women.
How does a continent like Africa affect you personally in your daily life?
The most simple answer I can give is: showing me that everything happening on this world has to be viewed through unfiltered African eyes. And not the Euro-glasses handed to me through generations. In other words: Stay true.
What is the best
way for melanin people to find their (unknown) African roots?
And if you want to know what DNA-markers are the most dominant within you. Use the company called AfricanAncestry.com
Do you believe in DNA tests like MYHERITAGE to find
out where someone’s roots are set up?
Please check the infographics made by AfricanAncestry. Those other companies… Well I shall speak of them no more.
BoB’s for life is the path to greatness.
Silvano
